Trump Hormuz Deadline Highlights: Trump defends strikes, claims they aid Iranians: ‘They want to hear bombs because…’

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Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a US aircraft that crashed during the search for downed airmen was struck by enemy fire while engaging Iranian forces, as per AP.

Speaking at a White House briefing, he explained that a US A-10 Thunderbolt II was “violently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gun fight to keep them away” from the pilot of a downed F-15 fighter jet while also being “primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot.”

Caine said that even after being hit, the pilot “continued to fight” and carry out the mission before flying the damaged aircraft into another country, where it was deemed unsafe to land. The pilot then chose to eject over friendly territory and was “quickly and safely recovered,” and is reported to be in good condition.

Effie Defrin, the military’s chief spokesman, said the army’s top commander has approved operational plans for the next three weeks in the absence of any ceasefire, according to AP.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said the intensity of operations is increasing with each passing day. “Every day that passes, we hit them more and more. Already we have very good achievements, and we want to reach excellent achievements,” he stated.

Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran are “going well” ahead of a Tuesday night deadline to reach an agreement, while emphasising that ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz must be included in any deal, as per Bloomberg.

Speaking on Monday, Trump described reopening the strait as “a very big priority,” even though he had previously indicated it was not a central objective in ending the conflict. When asked whether Iran must reopen the route to meet US conditions, he said the deal “is going to be we want free travel and everything.”

António Guterres has cautioned the United States that targeting civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international law, according to his spokesperson, as per AP.

Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that even if certain civilian facilities could be considered military objectives, strikes would still be unlawful if they risk causing “excessive incidental civilian harm.”

He added that it would ultimately be up to a court to determine whether such actions constitute war crimes.

Trump says he’s “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten destruction of Iran’s bridges and power plants if they don’t meet a Tuesday-evening deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to AP.

“I hope I don’t have to do it,” Trump added.

Donald Trump outlined the potential consequences for Iran if it fails to reach an agreement with the United States by his Tuesday 8 pm deadline, as per AP.

“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night,” Trump said during his Monday news conference.

He added that Iranian power plants would be “burning, exploding and never to be used again.”

Trump also declined to clarify whether civilian targets would be excluded from any potential US military response.

Donald Trump continued to express frustration over NATO allies’ reluctance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and their hesitation to support US military actions against Iran, as per AP.

As he concluded his lengthy news conference on Monday, Trump also criticised key allies in the Asia-Pacific region for not offering assistance.

“You know who else didn’t help us? South Korea didn’t help us,” he said. “You know who else didn’t help us? Australia didn’t help us. You know who else didn’t help us? Japan. We’ve got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from Kim Jong Un. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well.”

Trump said he’s ‘not at all’ concerned about war crimes as he threatens destruction of Iran’s bridges and power plants, reported AP.

Donald Trump said the decision came after a reporter’s question, revealing that not everyone initially supported the move.

“Not everybody was on board,” he said, adding, “There were military people that said, ‘you just don’t do this.’”

Referring to Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, Trump clarified: “These two were totally on board.”

Donald Trump warned that the journalist who first reported on US efforts to locate an F-15 weapons officer shot down in Iran could face jail time if they refuse to reveal their sources, as per AP.

“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say, and that doesn’t last long,” Trump said.

He did not identify the reporter or the news outlet involved but argued that the leak may have alerted Iranian forces, putting both the downed officer and rescue teams at risk. Trump also described the individual responsible for the leak as “a sick person.”

Speaking at a White House press conference, John Ratcliffe said the agency relied on “exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service” possesses to locate the downed aviator after an F-15 was shot down in Iran, as per AP.

At the same time, the Central Intelligence Agency carried out a deception operation to mislead Iranian forces that were also searching for the pilot.

Ratcliffe described the effort as extremely challenging, comparing it to “hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.”

The CIA declined to provide further details on Monday about the specific technologies used in the operation.

Pete Hegseth said a coordination call among national security officials during the high-risk mission to rescue the U.S. airmen remained active for nearly two straight days.

“For 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination,” Hegseth said, referring to the secure communication channel used throughout the operation. “Our mission was unblinking.”

He added that the effort was continuous, saying, “the meeting never stopped. The planning never ceased.”

The US defense secretary, who often incorporates references to his Christian faith into his leadership of the Pentagon, described the rescued airman’s ordeal using religious imagery, according to AP.

He said the airman was shot down on Good Friday, spent Saturday “hidden in a cave,” and by Easter Sunday was “a pilot reborn, all home and accounted for.”

According to him, when the airman finally managed to activate an emergency transponder, his first transmitted message was: “God is good.”

"Tomorrow we will have more attacks on Iran,' said Trump.

Mojtaba Khamenei expressed condolences following the killing of the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence chief in recent strikes.

In a written message shared on social media, he said Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi had joined a “steadfast line of warriors and fighters” who sacrificed their lives. Israeli attacks have reportedly killed dozens of senior Iranian figures, including Khamenei’s father.

The younger Khamenei has not appeared publicly or delivered any speeches since taking over as supreme leader.

United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says, “We embarrassed Iran's military.”

Donald Trump said the rescue operation began on Friday and continued through the weekend after two airmen ejected and landed alive deep inside hostile Iranian territory.

He noted that an initial wave of 21 aircraft was deployed for the search-and-rescue effort, with crews flying for hours under “very, very heavy enemy fire.” Reports indicate that some aircraft involved in the mission were hit during these early attempts but still managed to return safely.

"I ordered the U.S. Armed Forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home. A risky decision, because we could have ended up with 100 dead, as opposed to one or two," Trump said after a dangerous rescue mission that nearly went off course.

"It's a hard decision to make, but in the United States military, we leave no American behind. We don't do it."

Trump said that finding the pilot was like “finding a needle in a haystack”.

Donald Trump outlined the scale of the US mission to rescue the second airman from the downed aircraft, saying it involved a total of 155 aircraft.

He specified that the operation included four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft, among others.

According to Trump, much of the effort was designed to mislead Iranian forces, who were also searching for the missing crew member. “We were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,” he said. “We wanted to have them think he was in a different location.”

Donald Trump said the downed weapons officer followed protocol by moving as far away from the crash site as possible after the incident.

When a plane crashes in hostile territory, ‘they all head right to that site, you want to be as far away as you can,’” Trump explained, as per AP.

He added that the officer was “bleeding profusely” but still managed to climb through mountainous terrain and successfully contact US forces to relay his position. According to Trump, a large-scale rescue operation was then launched, using deceptive tactics to mislead Iranian forces about the search location.

The price of US crude oil climbed from $112 to around $114 per barrel shortly after Donald Trump began his news conference. International benchmark Brent crude also rose, though at a slower pace.

At the same time, major stock indexes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500, erased earlier gains and moved into negative territory for the day.

Donald Trump stated that military action is ultimately benefiting the people of Iran, saying they “want to hear bombs because they want to be free", as per The Guardian.

He added that Iranians are not taking to the streets in protest because “they will be shot immediately” by the regime, contrasting that with the ongoing strikes carried out by the United States and Israel across the country.

Donald Trump, speaking at a White House news conference, warned that the United States could target Iran on a massive scale.

“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” he said.

Trump had set a deadline of 8 pm ET the following day for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route, or face extensive damage to its infrastructure.

Trump has started his press conference. He is beginning his remarks by talking about the rescue missions for the two US service members in the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down in Iran.

"This is a rescue that is very historic," he said.

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday urged governments to respect the rules of war in word and deed after US President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric against Iran by threatening to rain down "hell" on Tehran, according to Reuters.

"States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do," Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement. "The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritises death over life."

Trump has arrived to address the press.

Jamie Dimon, head of JPMorgan Chase, cautioned in his annual letter to shareholders that the otherwise “resilient” US economy could face fresh inflationary pressures if the conflict with Iran disrupts global energy markets, according to AP.

He referred to inflation as a potential “skunk at the party” this year, warning that instability in oil and commodity markets could spread across the economy, driving up costs for everything from fuel to manufacturing. Dimon also noted that persistent inflation might compel the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated for a longer period, which could create additional risks for economic growth and the financial system.

The US stock market showed only cautious movement on Monday, while oil prices fluctuated sharply ahead of a deadline set by Donald Trump regarding potential strikes on Iranian power facilities, as per AP.

The S&P 500 rose slightly by 0.3% in midday trading, building on its first weekly gain in six weeks. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 100 points, or 0.2%, as of 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.4%.

At the same time, oil prices moved up and down amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the conflict with Iran and its potential impact on global supplies of oil and natural gas. Iran on Monday rejected the latest ceasefire proposal, calling instead for a permanent end to the war, though negotiations may still be ongoing.

Donald Trump, who had already extended his original deadline, did not suggest he would grant any further extensions, as per Reuters.

“Highly unlikely. They've had plenty of time. In fact, they asked for seven days. I said, I'm going to give you 10. But at the end of 10, all hell's going to break out if you don't get there,” he told reporters while attending the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Iran rejects a proposed ceasefire as Donald Trump ramped up his threats less than two days before the US president’s warning to re-open the Strait of Hormuz or face further attacks on civilian infrastructure, according to Bloomberg.

Trump told reporters Monday at the White House, “They don’t want to cry, as the expression goes, ‘uncle,’ but they will, and if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges." He added that it was “highly unlikely” that he’d move the deadline again.